Merchandise game with pivotal product trays

1. A merchandise game apparatus for delivering at least one of a plurality of items of merchandise to a player, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of trays, each tray for holding at least one of the items of merchandise, each of the trays having a respective front end proximal a front face of the game apparatus and lying in a common plane, each of the trays having a respective rear end distal from the front face of the game apparatus, each of the trays hingedly connected adjacent its respective rear end to a fixed support so that it can be pivoted from a substantially horizontal resting position into a respective tilted delivery position by lifting the respective front end far enough so that the at least one item slides off the rear end of the tray into a delivery chute under the influence of gravity; a tripper disposed adjacent the front face and extending away from the front face far enough that a portion of the tripper lies in the common plane defined by the fronts of the trays; a tripper traversing mechanism for oscillating the tripper along a first axis parallel to the common plane at a selected rate unaffected by any action of the player, the traversing mechanism also for moving the tripper, responsive to an input from the player, along a second axis, perpendicular to the first axis and parallel to the common plane; and a player operated mechanism for supplying the input; whereby the apparatus delivers the at least one item of merchandise only if the tripper strikes a front portion of one of the trays and pivots that tray about its respective hinge into its respective product delivery position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the trays are arranged in a plurality of horizontal rows and wherein the first axis is disposed beneath a lowest of the plurality of rows.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the trays are arranged in a first selected number of horizontal rows, each of the rows comprising a respective number, less than the total number of trays in the plurality thereof, of trays respectively directly hingedly connected to a rod extending at least part way across the face of the game, each of the rods fixedly attached to a cabinet of the game.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the player operated mechanism comprises a momentary contact electrical switch.

5. A method of dispensing to a player at least one of a plurality of items of merchandise displayed behind a transparent front panel of a merchandise game comprising a plurality of trays, each of the trays holding at least one of the items of merchandise, the method comprising the sequentially executed steps undertaken by the player of: paying a predetermined sum to gain access to the game; and supplying an input at a selected instant to initiate upward motion of a tripper oscillating at an initial level beneath a lowest one of the trays, the tripper extending far enough behind the front panel to strike a portion of a tray as the tripper moves upward; and the sequentially executed steps undertaken by a contoller controlling the game of: accepting the payment by the player and waiting for the input from the player; moving the tripper upwardly subsequent to receiving the input from the player until a second input from a delivery sensor indicates that the tripper has struck one of the trays so as to tilt a forward edge of the struck tray upwards and to discharge the at least one item of merchandise therefrom; and returning the tripper to its initial level.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of returning the tripper to its initial level comprises moving the tripper downward along a path selected so that the downwardly moving tripper does not contact any of the trays.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the tripper comprises means allowing it to tilt upward and ride over any of the trays that it contacts while being returned to its initial level.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the delivery sensor comprises means for sensing that the at least one of the prizes has fallen into a delivery chute for delivery to the player.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the player supplies the input by actuating a momentary contact switch.

10. An apparatus for a merchandise game in which at least one article of merchandise is dispensed only if a player selects an appropriate instant at which to provide an input, the apparatus comprising: a cabinet comprising a transparent front face, the cabinet having a plurality of horizontal support members fixedly attached thereto in parallel alignment so that each of the horizontal support members extends at least partially across the front face, each of the support members having a respective selected number of trays connected thereto in respective spaced apart arrangements; each of the trays having a front end proximal the front face of the cabinet and a rear end distal therefrom, each of the trays respectively hingedly connected adjacent its rear end to the associated one of the horizontal support members, each of the trays respectively pivotally movable about its respective hinge from a resting position into a tilted delivery position; a traversing mechanism adjacent the front face, the traversing mechanism for moving a tripper along a path parallel to the front face, the tripper extending rearwardly far enough from the front face to contact any of the trays disposed along the path and to move the contacted tray from its resting position toward its delivery position; and a momentary contact switch operable by the player to provide the input to a controller for controlling the motion of the traversing mechanism along the path.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein each of the trays comprises a respective trip tab at its front end, each of the trip tabs having a respective selected width.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a delivery sensor responsive to the at least one product falling from the tray in the delivery position, the delivery sensor having an output to the controller for stopping the motion of the traversing mechanism along the path.